Haec olim meminisse juvabit

Every time I read the entire Virgil I regret that I am not writing down the lines that are absolutely marvelous. And then it's to late to start, so I leave this task until the next time I pick up the book.

Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit.
Perhaps some day it will please us to recall even these things. (A., I.203)

The idea, of course, is that at the time the things in question are the last thing we want to ever recall and remember. But perhaps, as years pass and we gain perspective and wisdom there will be some redeeming aspect to all of this. Although, that's not a given...

Latin toasts

We don't have a definitive collection of Latin toasts from the times of Ancient Rome. The phrases chosen here come from a variety of sources: medieval sayings, classical authors and modern usage. Feel free to use them if the occasion is right!

Ad finem esto fidelis - Be faithful to the end.Amor patriae - The love of our country.Bene vobis! - May it be well with you!Dilige amicos - Love your friends.Dum vivimus vivamus - Let us live while we live.Esto perpetua - Be thou perpetual.Nunc est bibendum - Now, let us drink!Palmam qid meruit ferate - Let him who has won bear the palm.Pro aris et focis - For our altars and fireside.Propino tibi! - I drink to you!Propino tibi salutem! - I drink to your health! (Along with the previous toast, this one is still used in Italy, although it may only be known since the Middle Ages)Prosit! - To your good fortune! May things go well for you (commonly used in German speaking countries, shortend to "Prost!")Salutaria! - This roughly equates to "Cheers!" in meaning.Vox populi vox Dei - The voice of the people is the voice of God (probably a good toast on an election night).

Latin word for death

As all highly advanced and well developed languages, Latin has a good number of words that can be rendered as "death" in a modern English translation. In certain cases specific Latin words convey additional meanings, while some only create a small variation in style. However, in a vast majority of situations the most generic Latin word for "death" works well: mors. If you are unfamiliar with Latin, it is important to know that depending on context this word will appear somewhat differently: mortis, mortem. morte and so on. Latin words simply have more grammatical forms that words in modern English. The following list, I hope, is a fairly comprehensive run-down of most words that can also be used, according to the intent and style of the text. Note that for each word there are two forms given, as it is also the practice in most dictionaries. The first form is the Nominative case, in which a noun would be used for purposes of a simple statement. If you need to find a phrase about death, try looking at this list of sad phrases in Latin.

Her-story strikes back

There is a well-known and obviously playful etymological explanation of the word "history" -- "his story," naturally opposed by the seemingly underrepresented "her story." I am completely disinterested in tracing the origins of this smashingly clever jab at traditional historiography. However, there seems to be a more amusing correlation that occurs in the language from which the term 'history' actually comes from, Greek. The roots of ἱστορία (historia) and ὑστέρα (hystera) are very close. (Different systems of reading Ancient Greek words result in slight variations in pronunciation, but the similarity is undeniable.) Now, what does 'hystera' mean? You may recognize the root 'hystera' in words such as 'hysteria' and 'hysterical'. This term is, however, a much later development and will not be discussed here. In Ancient Greek, the word ὑστέρα ('hystera') meant 'womb'. The "his story/her story" opposition is strangely mocked by this proximity of "woman" and "history" in the very language in which historic works first appeared (or so we were taught). The point of this exercise is simple. False etymologies, puns and clever word-plays are not a good source of objective knowledge. At best, they may be used as mnemonic devices.